IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS)

e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 8, Issue 9 Ver. II (Sep. 2015), PP 06-14
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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam):

Impending Factors on Household Food Security and Vitamin A
Deficiency (VAD) In Southwest and Northcentral Nigeria
Omoare, A. M.1, Fakoya, E. O.2 and Oyediran, W. O.2
1

Department of Agricultural Education, Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,
Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract: Nigeria is the single largest producer of sweet potato in Africa with 3.46 million metric tonnes and
second to China globally. Despite the clear potential of sweet potato in helping to meet Nigerian's food needs,
full exploitation and utilization is constrained by its bulkiness, perishability and low farmers knowledge on its
value addition. Hence, this study was carried out to assess value addition of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas l.
lam) as impending factors on household food security and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in Southwest and
Northcentral Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling techniques were used to select 750 sweet potato farmers/processors
in the study area while data obtained were analysed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study
revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 41.60 years with 87.10% of the respondents married and
65.70% of the respondents did not have formal education. 63.70% of the respondents were females and had
spent 11 20 years in sweet potato farming. Most (98.90%) of the respondents consumed Cream flesh
(46.40%), White flesh (32.20%), and Orange Flesh Sweet Potato (OFSP) (21.40%) varieties which were
obtained from their farms. Almost all (99.60%) the respondents neither aware that OFSP is very rich in vitamin
A nor encouraged their children and pregnant women to eat. But sweet potato was commonly processed in the
forms of boiled, roasted or fried chips (88.20%). Most (85%) of the respondents preferred sweet potato to food
fortified with vitamin A because it was readily available, relatively cheap, and easy to cook (77.30%). Majority
(86.30%) of the respondents were food secured with sweet potato. Results of chi-square showed that significant
relationships existed between household consumption of sweet potato and food security at p < 0.05. Meanwhile,
the result of t-test showed that there was no significant difference in the value addition of sweet potato in
Southwest and Northcentral (t = 0.87, p = 0.38) at p < 0.05. The study concludes that the farmers did not aware
that OFSP is very rich in vitamin A while they preferred sweet potato to food fortified with vitamin because it
was readily available, relatively cheap, and easy to cook. The study recommends promotion of farmers
awareness and enlightenment on OFSP as vitamin A source through vigorous campaign, trainings and
seminars.

I.

Background of the study

Nigeria is one of the largest producers of sweet potato in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) with annual
production estimated at 3.46 million tonnes per year (FAO, 2008). Despite this, the crop has received
comparatively little attention in the country, perhaps because of low prioritization by the government due to a
paucity of basic information on the potential of the crop. Its bulkiness and perishability with a low shelf life
after harvesting limit its economic viability (Abidin, 2004). Hence, it is both desirable and necessary to process
sweet potato into storable products forms to add value to the crop in order to contribute significantly to food
security, nutrition, income generation and enhanced livelihoods for the farmers (Ndunguru, 2003). However,
the limited range of ways and availability of adapted processing technologies in which sweet potato is utilized in
Nigeria seriously undermine the potential benefits of the crop to farmers, consumers and other chain actors
(Mmasa et al., 2013). In Nigeria, meeting the food and nutrition needs of the ever-increasing population has
been a huge task for every successful government, how well this objective is achieved is often used to judge the
performance of any government. Food security refers to a situation in which all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active healthy life (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2002). Food availability,
stability of supplies and food access are related determinants of food security. Inconsistent food security results
in inadequate dietary intake, which leads to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the most serious consequence of food
insecurity. The problem of food and nutrition security in Nigeria has not been adequately and critically
analyzed. In spite of the role of sweet potato as one of the Worlds most important food and vegetable crop,
playing an important role in combating vitamins and other nutritional deficiencies, it is still regarded as a minor
crop and food for the poor. There is little commercial processing into chips or flour, which could be stored for
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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
all year round consumption in Nigeria. Hence, it is rated low in the food priority list. However, an in depth
knowledge of the sweet potato value addition is still a prerequisite for farmers if increased production and
acceptability of the crop is to be achieved. Hence, this high potential of the crop is yet to be converted into
increased output under the present cropping system. Since the majority of Nigerians live in rural areas, an
assessment of the food and nutrition security status of rural dwellers through sweet potato value addition will
provide a clear picture of what needs to be done to increase production and consumption of OFSP variety in
Nigeria with the attendant improvements in nutrition status. This study thereby assessed the contributions of
sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) value addition to rural households food security and as vitamin A
supplement in Southwest and Northcentral Nigeria.
1.4 Specific Objectives were to:
i.
describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents
ii.
examine the households consumption of OFSP
iii.
assess the common sweet potato varieties and in what forms have they processed them for ease of
consumption
iv.
assess sweet potato contribution to the household food security
1.5 Hypotheses of the Study
H01:
There is no significant relationship between household consumption of sweet potato and food security.
H02: There is no significant difference in the Value Addition of Sweet potato in Southwest and Northcentral.

II.

Research methodology

2.1 Sampling techniques and sample size

This study was carried out in some selected States of Southwest and Northcentral areas of Nigeria.
Simple random sampling technique was used to select three States namely: Ogun, Osun and Kwara States.
Multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents in the study area. A total of 750 respondents were
selected for the study but only 735 respondents were physically present and interviewed.
Table 1: Multistage Random Sampling Procedure and Sample Size
S/N

States

Zones

Selected
zones (2)

Blocks

Selected
blocks
(50%)

Cells

Selected
cells
(50%)

Ogun

Abeokuta
Ilaro

6
4

3
2

54
28

Osun

Osogbo(2)

10
10

5
5

Kwara

Abeokuta
Ikenne
Ijebu-Ode
Ilaro
Iwo
Osogbo
Ife/Ijesa
A
B
C
D

Ife/Ijesa
A
B (2)

6
6

42

TOTAL

27
14

No. of
registered
farmers in the
selected cells
640
360

No. of
selected
farmers
(25%)
160
90

64
48

32
24

684
429

171
107

3
3

30
30

15
15

387
500

97
125

21

254

127

3,000

750

Source: OGADEP, OSSADEP, KWARADEP, 2011

2.2 Data Collection
Data for this research exercise was collected in batches by five trained enumerators and the research
team between October 2014 and May 2015. In the selected communities there were face to face interviews with
the respondents by the trained enumerators and community leaders. Data were collected on Socio-economic
characteristics of the respondents, Awareness and consumption of OFSP as a good source of vitamin A, Sweet
potato cropping system, Awareness of various products forms of sweet potato, Farmers Sources of information
on sweet potato production, Household food security and Challenges to sweet potato value addition. R-statistics
software was used to analyse the data.
2.3 Validity of the instrument
The instrument was subjected to face and content validity involving supervisors assessment, experts in
Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, their criticisms and suggestions were positively utilized for a
more valid instrument.

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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
2.4 Reliability of the instrument
The reliability test for the instrument was conducted using test re-test method. Administration of the
instrument was done for twenty sweet potato farmers who were not included in the actual study sample. Scores
were assigned to the responses of the selected respondents. Total scores for each period were computed and
Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to determine the relationship between the two
set of scores. The instrument was considered reliable with a reliability coefficients (r) range from 0.79 to 0.89.
2.5 Measurement of variables
Household consumption of sweet potato was measured at nominal level as Yes (1) and No (0) while
rate of consumption was measured as Daily (1), Weekly (2), Monthly (3) and Never (0). Food security status
measured at nominal as Yes (3), I dont know (2) and No (1). The food security status were categorized as Low
and High with scores of 23 25 and 26 and above respectively.
2.6 Method of Data analysis
Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, percentages and
mean were used for objectives of this study. Chi-square and t-test were used to test the hypotheses for the study.

III.

Results and Discussion

3.1 Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents

Result in Table 2 showed that the mean age of the respondents was 41.60 years with standard deviation of 1.08.
Most (83.10%) of the respondents were between 30 - 50 years of age, thus revealing the presence of respondents
that are economically active (Oladoja et al., 2006). This implies that the activeness of the farmers can be
channeled to a more productive sweet potato production and value addition in the study area. Some (16.90%) of
the respondents were above 51 years of age. This could be as a result of the rural-urban migration of the youth
which has led to ageing population in the rural areas of Nigeria. Many (63.70%) of the respondents were
females while few (36.30%) were males. This indicates the dominance of the female farmers in sweet potato
value addition. This finding indicated that women are more involved in the processing and marketing of food
crops are often the chores of women (Adisa and Okunade, 2005). The implication of this is that women in the
study area should be encouraged and trained to embrace modern processing techniques. Most (87.10%) of the
respondents were married while 9% were single and 3.10% were widowed. It is assumed that married people are
expected to be stable, have family responsibility and enough experience to coordinate and organize their homes
and farms operations. This result further confirmed the findings of Fakoya, (2000) and Oladoja et al. (2008) who
asserted that marriage confers some level of responsibilities and commitments on individual who are involved.
Also, those who are married need to generate additional income to sustain members of their household. Results
of this study also revealed that a large proportion (65.70%) of the respondents did not have formal education,
25.20% had primary education, while only a relatively small proportion (9.10%) of the respondents had
secondary education. This showed that a good number of the respondents did not have formal education and this
will affect the rate of adoption of innovations on sweet potato production, marketing, processing and ultimately
value addition of the crop. Education is a viable tool for change and adoption of innovation. Members of the
farmers household constitute its household size. However, the findings of this study showed that 52.80% of the
sweet potato farmers in the study areas had less than 5 members in their household while 1.20% had more than 9
people, and 42.60% had between 6 - 10 persons in their household. This indicated that the household size of
respondents was not too large. This would have implications on the available family labour input into the value
addition activities. The respondents will have to go for hired labour since family labour may not be sufficient
due to their number. The findings of this study also agree with that of Tecklewold et al. (2006) which explained
that individual in the household is a potential source of labour and their availability reduces labour constraints
faced during the peak period of the farming seasons. Years of farming experience usually play a vital role in any
farming enterprise (Abiona, 2010). The findings of this study showed that the mean year of farming experience
for sweet potato was 16.40 years while the standard deviation was 7.14. The result also indicated that 2% of the
respondents had been in sweet potato farming for more than 31 years, while 43.50% had been cultivating sweet
potato for 11 20 years. Few (28.60%) of the respondents had been into sweet potato farming for less than 10
years. This further showed that sweet potato production is not a new enterprise/crop to the farmers in the study
area making them to be more experienced and knowledgeable in sweet potato production activities. The
implication of this is that since the farmers in the study area have wealth of experience in sweet potato
production they can easily be trained on the value addition of the crop which will in turn generate additional
income for them. Almost all (98.50%) of the respondents were members of agricultural cooperative societies.
This is in agreement with Ebii, (2002) and Oladele and Afolayan, (2005) who indicated that high levels of social
participation and linkages can give rise to high level of innovation dissemination, mass adoption and increased
productivity due to group dynamism. The agricultural cooperative societies provide the platform for the
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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
members to have access to loan facilities, agricultural information on sweet potato production, marketing,
processing and value addition, and other inputs as well as enhanced ability to adopt innovations. The relevance
of membership of association for this study came from the fact that these different associations are one of the
possible avenues of mobilizing farmers for collective action. These groups usually serve as an entry point for
farmers to adopt innovation. Abiodun et al. (2002), and Abiona, (2010) have pointed out the importance of
group networking in adoption of various technologies.
Table 2: Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents (n = 735)
Variables
Age (yrs.)
30
31 40
41 50
51
Sex
Male
Female
Marital status
Single
Married
Widow
Divorced
Educational status
Primary education
Secondary education
Tertiary education
Household size
5
6 10
11 15
09
Experience (yrs.)
10
11 20
21 30
31
Membership of association
Agricultural cooperative
Non-agricultural cooperative

Frequency

Percentage

Mean

Std. Dev.

160
208
243
124

21.80
28.30
33.10
16.90

41.60

1.08

267
468

36.30
63.70

66
640
23
06

9.0
87.10
3.10
0.80

483
185
67

65.70
25.20
9.10

388
313
25
09

52.80
42.60
3.40
1.20

6.00

210
320
190
15

28.60
43.50
25.90
2.00

16.40

11
724

1.50
98.50

7.14

Source: Field survey, 2015

3.2 Household consumption of sweet potato
The result revealed that 62.90% of the respondents were household head and taken feeding
responsibility of the family. Most (98.90%) of the respondents consumed sweet potato in their households.
Almost all (98.20%) of sweet potato consumed in the households were obtained from the farms while very few
(1.20%) were purchased in the markets. Food availability relates to the supply of food through production,
distribution, and exchange (Gregory et al., 2005). The common sweet potato varieties to the households were
Cream flesh (46.40%), White flesh (32.20%), and Orange flesh sweet potato (21.40%). Sweet potato varieties
exist in many colours of skin and flesh, ranging from white to deep purple, although cream and orange flesh are
the most common (Adam, 2005). The reason for the low percentage of Orange flesh sweet potato (OFSP)
variety as compare to the other two varieties is that the other two varieties are the local varieties that the farmers
are used to planting while orange flesh has just been introduced to the farmers because it is a source betacarotene. Also, cream flesh and white flesh sweet potato varieties possess high market price, high yielding with
early maturity characteristics. The results imply that OFSP variety has not yet widely circulated among the
farmers in the study area. Vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem affecting young children between
the ages of 0 to 6 years, and pregnant women in Sub Sahara Africa. Meanwhile, orange flesh variety contains
beta-carotene-rich that the body uses to produce vitamin A, which is both an excellent source of energy and
important nutritive substances and it can contribute to the nutrient status of the rural dwellers (Burris, 2011).
Also, it was reported by WHO, (2005) that several nutritional disorders can be easily alleviated by consuming
the orange flesh sweet potato that contains high levels of Vitamin A. The result in Table 3 further showed that
almost all (99.60%) the respondents neither aware that OFSP is very rich in vitamin A nor encouraged their
children and pregnant women to eat it. This reason may not be unconnected with low coverage of extension
service that can introduce and educate the rural dwellers on the need to consume OFSP.

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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
Table 3: Household consumption of sweet potato (n = 735)
Variables
Head of household
Yes
No
Responsible for household feeding
Yes
No
Consumption of sweet potato products in your household
Yes
No
Source of sweet potato available in your household
Purchased
Cultivated
Sweet potato varieties in your household
White flesh SP
Cream flesh SP
Orange flesh SP
Awareness on OFSP
You aware that OFSP is very rich in vitamin A
Yes
No
You encouraged your children and pregnant women to eat OFSP
Yes
No

Frequency

Percentage

462
273

62.90
37.10

467
268

63.50
36.50

727
08

98.90
1.10

09
722

1.20
98.20

237
341
157

32.20
46.40
21.40

03
732

0.40
99.60

03
732

0.40
99.60

Source: Field survey, 2015

3.3 Common processed sweet potato forms
Bulkiness and perishability affect production and post-harvest system of sweet potato because the crop
has a very short shelf life after harvesting, hence it is both desirable and necessary to process sweet potato into
storable products forms (Abidin, 2004). Results in Table 4 revealed that most common (88.20%) processed
sweet potato in the study area was in boiled, roasted, fried and chips forms. Sparri was not very common
(0.50%) in the diet of rural dwellers in the study area. The reason adduced for this is that sweet potato can be
easily boiled and roasted without much effort. This result corroborates the findings of Fawole, 2007 that the
common processed products forms of sweet potato are boiled and roasted processed forms. In Africa, sweet
potato is generally eaten boiled or roasted. However, various utilization methods such as making of chips,
blending of sweet potato flour with wheat flour for products like chapatti, mandazi or porridge has not been
fully developed in Nigeria (Tewe et al., 2003) whereas when sliced, dried (usually in the sun), and ground, it
gives flour that remains in good condition for a long time (Amamgbo et al., 2010).
Table 4: The common available processed sweet potato found in the study area (n = 735)
Processed sweet potato
Boiled/Roasted
Boiled/Roasted/Fried
Boiled/Roasted/Fried/Chips
Chips/sparri

Frequency
11
72
648
04

Percentage
1.50
9.80
88.20
0.50

Source: Field survey, 2015

3.4 Rate of consumption of various sweet potato products
Over 80% of the sweet potato produced in SSA is consumed fresh by man (Nungo et al., 2004). The
remainder is either processed for starch or used for animal feed. The tubers are mainly starch and soluble
carbohydrates, but the leaves and vines are high in amino acids, essential minerals and vitamins. From the
results in Table 5, it was shown that sweet potato as animal feed (61.50%), flour (12.80%) and chips (10.50%)
were commonly used on daily basis while 59.20% and 45.40% of the respondents consumed sweet potato flour
and chips respectively every week. According to Nungo et al., 2004 over 80% of the sweet potato produced in
SSA is consumed fresh. In most other rural areas, it is a secondary staple consumed 2-4 times per week when in
season. Boiled and steamed roots often serve as a breakfast food. Sweet potato plays a more limited role in
urban diets, often as a breakfast or snack food. In Africa there is often a cultural perception that sweet potato is a
sweet food most appropriate for women and children (Low et al., 2007). Similarly, adults prefer high starch
content varieties, while children prefer the softer, lower starch roots (Low et al., 2005). In contrast, sweet potato
doughnut (100%), cake (99.60%), vegetable (99.60%), sparri (99.10%), chin chin (98.80%), and starch
(97.80%) were never consumed by the respondents. In Japan, sweet potato starch is used in the production of
noodles and is also fermented in the production of distilled spirits called shochu.

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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
Table 5: Rate of consumption of various sweet potato products (n = 735)
S/N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Products forms
Sparri (sweet potato garri)
Sweet potato starch
Animal feed (fodder)
Chips
Sweet potato meat pie
Sweet potato flour
Sweet potato cake
Sweet potato chin chin
Sweet potato vegetable
Sweet potato doughnut
Sweet potato soup

Daily
04 (0.50)
16 (2.20)
452 (61.50)
77 (10.50)
0 (0.00)
94 (12.80)
0 (0.00)
03 (0.40)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
16 (2.20)

Rate of consumption
Weekly
Monthly
03 (0.40)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
230 (31.30)
11 (1.50)
334 (45.40)
258 (35.10)
03 (0.40)
16 (2.20)
435 (59.20)
172 (23.40)
03 (0.40)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
06 (0.80)
03 (0.40)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
12 (1.60)
51 (6.90)

Never
728 (99.10)
719 (97.80)
42 (5.70)
66 (9.00)
716 (97.40)
34 (4.60)
732 (99.60)
726 (98.80)
732 (99.60)
735 (100)
656 (89.30)

Source: Field survey, 2015

Values in parenthesis are percentages
3.5 Household food security status
The results on household food security status showed that most of the respondents had enough of the
kinds of sweet potato to eat (94.60%) but could not know when the sweet potato stock was exhausted (96.90%).
The respondents confirmed that sometimes they (97%) did not have money to purchase sweet potato
within 12 months yet they (92.90%) could still afford to buy some sweet potato for their households. Also, most
(97.60%) of the respondents ate sufficient sweet potato products even when the cash at hand was not enough
(99.60%).
Poverty can limit access to food, and can also increase how vulnerable an individual or household is to
food price spikes (Ecker and Breisinger, 2012). It was further revealed that many (58.20%) of the respondents
did not lose weight because majority (92.50%) of the respondents ate their diets daily. 88.30% of the
respondents indicated that there was no day they did not eat and felt satisfied when the family (84.20%) ate
sweet potato products. Almost every month, many of (44.80%) had access to food fortified with vitamin A
(92.70%). This is in line with United Nations World Food Summit of 1996 that food security is a situation when
all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (FAO,
1996). Many (85%) of the respondents showed that they prefer sweet potato to food fortified with vitamin
because it was readily available, relatively cheap, and easy to cook, and have sweet taste (77.30%).
Unfortunately, there were no any national/state/local programs to promote improved vitamin A status
through dietary change to orange flesh sweet potato (99.60%) and no community-based forum that emphasizes
consumption of orange flesh sweet potato as a good source of vitamin A to rural dwellers (100%) in the study
area. Poor policies have greatly affected the food security in Africa. The problem arises when the focus on
policies, structures and institutions is put above that of the people themselves (Oyediran, 2015). Results in Table
6b showed that majority (86.30%) of the respondents fell into category of high food security while 13.70% were
in the category of low food security. It implies that availability of sweet potato and its convenience in cooking
and cheap price encouraged rural households to consume it in respective of their financial status so that they
could overcome hunger and food insecurity. Therefore, sweet potato serves as means of achieving food and
nutrition security in the study area.
Table 6a: Household food security status (n = 735)
S/N
1

Statements
Products eaten in your household
Enough of the kinds we want to eat
Enough but not always the kinds we want
Sometimes not enough to eat
The sweet potato that I bought just didnt last
Yes
I dont know
No
I didnt have money to get more in the last 12 months
Sometimes true
Never true
I couldnt afford to eat processed sweet potato (my household) in the last 12
months
Sometimes true
Never true
Did you ever eat less than you felt you should
I dont know
No
Were you every hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough money
I dont now

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Frequency
695 (94.60)
03 (0.40)
37 (5.00)
08 (1.10)
712 (96.90)
15 (2.0)
713 (97.00)
22 (3.00)

52 (7.10)
683 (92.90)
18 (2.40)
717 (97.60)
03 (0.40)

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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
7

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

No
Did you lose weight because there wasn't enough money for sweet potato
products
I dont know
No
Did you ever not eat for a whole day
Yes
I dont know
No
How often did you not eat for a day
Almost every month
Some months but not every month
Only 1 or 2 months
I dont know
When your family eats sweet potato products, do they satisfy their hunger
Yes
No
Access to food fortified with vitamin A such as wheat flour, sugar, milk,
margarine, etc
Yes
No
I dont know
How often did you consume food fortified with vitamin A
Daily
Weekly
Almost every month
Some months but not every month
Only 1 or 2 months
I dont know
Do you prefer consuming orange flesh sweet potato to food fortified with vitamin
A
Yes
No
Reasons for your prefer sweet potato to food fortified with vitamin A
Readily available/relatively cheap/easy to cook
Readily available/relatively cheap/easy to cook/sweet taste
Any national/state/local programs to promote improved vitamin A status through
dietary change to orange flesh sweet potato
Yes
No
Any community-based forum that emphasizes consumption of orange flesh sweet
potato as a good source of vitamin A to rural dwellers
Yes
No

732 (99.60)

307 (41.80)
428 (58.20)
10 (1.40)
41 (6.10)
680 (92.50)
04 (0.50)
57 (7.80)
25 (3.40)
649 (88.30)
619 (84.20)
116 (15.80)

681 (92.70)
48 (6.50)
03 (0.40)
55 (7.50)
65 (8.80)
117 (15.90)
329 (44.80)
157 (21.40)
12 (1.60)

625 (85.00)
110 (15.00)
167 (22.70)
458 (77.30)

03(0.40)
732 (99.60)

0 (0.00)
735 (100)

Source: Field survey, 2015; Values in parenthesis are percentages

Table 6b: Categorization of food security status
Food security status
Low
High

Scores
23 25
26 and above

Frequency
101
634

Percentage
13.70
86.30

Source: Field survey, 2015

3.6 Testing of hypotheses
H01: There is no significant relationship between household consumption of sweet potato and food
security.
Result of chi-square in Table 7 showed that no relationship existed between household consumption of
sweet potato products like sparri (2 = 1.33, df =4), starch (2 = 1.19, df =2), animal feed (2 = 10.14, df =6),
meat pie (2 = 3.67, df =4), vegetable (2 = 0.57, df =4), doughnut (2 = 4.37, df =6) and food security at p <
0.05. This situation is not unconnected with their low level of awareness about the various value added sweet
potato products. But, there was significant relationship between the household consumption of sweet potato
chips (2 = 17.09, df =6) and food security at p < 0.05. The reason is that the few available sweet potato chips
are well utilized by the respondents which enhanced their households food security. It can be inferred that
households that have access to various products forms of sweet potato will increase its consumption and
consequently households food security. At the household level, food security implies an adequate access to
food over time. This is possible when there is adequate food availability to the household, and an adequate
income capacity for the purchase of the available food (IFPRI, 2002). Hence, the null hypothesis that there is
significant relationship between the household consumption of sweet potato products and food security is
accepted.
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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
Table 7: Relationship between household consumption of sweet potato and food security
2
1.33
1.19
10.14
17.09
3.67
0.57
4.37

Variables
Sparri (sweet potato garri)
Sweet potato starch
Animal feed (fodder)
Chips
Sweet potato meat pie
Sweet potato vegetable
Sweet potato doughnut

df
4
2
6
6
4
4
6

p-value
0.85
0.55
0.12
0.01
0.45
0.78
0.63

Decision
NS
NS
NS
S
NS
NS
NS

Source: Field survey, 2015

3.7 Test of Difference in Value Addition of Sweet potato in Southwest and Northcentral
H02: There is no significant difference in the Value Addition of Sweet potato in Southwest and Northcentral.
Result in Table 8 presented the t-test of significant difference in the Value Addition of sweet potato in
Southwest and Northcentral. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the value addition of
sweet potato in Southwest and Northcentral (t = 0.87, p = 0.38). The two geo-political zones have good
vegetation that support sweet potato production at subsistence and commercial levels but the producers
knowledge of value addition is still very low. Consequently, the two geo-political zones practice similar value
addition which is limited to boiled, roasted and fried forms. Therefore, the null hypothesis that there is no
significant difference in the value addition of sweet potato in Southwest and Northcentral is accepted.
Table 8: Result of t-test of significant difference of sweet potato value addition in Southwest and
Northcentral
Value addition

Mean diff.

Std. deviation

Std. mean

df

p- value

Decision

221

0.87

0.38

NS

error
Southwest and Northcentral

0.18

3.06

0.20

Source: Field survey, 2015

NS = Not significant at 0.05 level
df = degree of freedom

IV.

Conclusion

The study concludes that sweet potato value adders were predominantly females, economically active
and innovative, married, experienced and operated on a small scale but had low level of literacy, and they did
not aware that OFSP is very rich in vitamin A. Sweet potato was processed in forms of boiled, roasted or fried.
Many of the respondents preferred sweet potato to food fortified with vitamin because it was readily available,
relatively cheap, and easy to cook, and have sweet taste, and the farmers were food secured through sweet
potato. Household consumption had significant relationship with food security. Sweet potato value addition
practices in Northcentral and Southwest, Nigeria were found to be similar.
4.1 Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made in order to improve
sweet potato production, and ensuring sustainable household nutritional and food security through OFSP:
1. Adequate financial support by commercial banks and cooperative societies should be made available to
farmers involved in sweet potato production and value addition.
2. Since farmers in the study area have low knowledge on sweet potato diverse products, extension services
should organize trainings and workshop to sensitize the farmers on sweet potato value addition in the study
area.
3. Promotion of farmers awareness and enlightenment on OFSP as vitamin A source through vigorous
campaign, trainings and seminars should be put in place.

Acknowledgment
It is in view of the objectives of Federal College of Education, Abeokuta that the research team sought
and obtained the approval of the institution to undertake research survey and give report of the assessment,
contributions, constraints and recommendations to improve the cultivation, value addition and consumption of
Orange Flesh Sweet Potato (OFSP) to improve household food security in the study area. Food security is
currently both a fundamental objective and an expected outcome of development policies in Nigeria, as the
country currently faces a challenge in meeting the basic food needs of its population. To undertake this
Research, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) assistance was sought through the Institution which was
granted in September 2014, hence with the TETFUND support and together with the research team, community
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Value Addition of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): Impending Factors on Household
leaders and sweet potato farmers we were able to undertake the exercise whose findings and recommendations
are contained in this report. It is our sincere hope that the institution will find the report useful in designing and
implementing program on rural households food security, and in tackling vitamin A deficiency among the
vulnerable.

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